If you have been a landlord for any length of time, you have probably dealt with a bad tenant at least once. To protect your rental property, it’s important to make sure you’re the host to well-behaved and quality tenants. Those who are problematic fall into one of two categories:

 

Having a Problem with Payment

 Rent payments are typically due on the first of every month, with a one-day grace period. You might have a longer grace period, in which case, after the fifth day, it’s considered late rent. On that same late day, you need to reach out to your tenant, whether that be by phone or in-person.

If you don’t receive the rent within a day or two, you must file a Three-Day Notice to pay rent or quit to vacate. On the notice, you must outline the amount of past rent that’s due, without including any utility fees. You also want to make sure you’re clear on where, when and to whom the rent can be paid.

Finally, you must send the notice by mail and email, as well as post it on your tenant’s door. If you still don’t receive your rent within those three days, you must file an Unlawful Detainer with your local eviction attorney.

East Bay Property Management and Consulting works with an exceptional attorney, Rothbard and Associates. Enlisting the help of eviction attorney costs between $800 to $1,000. Within 21 days, the court deals with the case. Typically, the process is uncontested, so the judge will give you a Default Judgment.

A judge will give the landlord a default judgement

The judge will then pass it off to a sheriff who will post a notice on the tenant’s door. Your tenant will have just several days to vacate, or they’ll be physically removed. The entire process takes no more than 30 days and, meanwhile, you keep the tenant’s one-month deposit.

 

Violating a Lease 

lease violation occurs when your tenant breaks a policy detailed in the lease agreement, such as not caring for the yard, sneaking in a roommate or pet and playing loud music while disturbing the neighbors. Any of these lease violations require you to file a Three-Day Notice to correct or quit to vacate.

Knowing when to file this type of notice a little bit trickier than doing so for non-payments. Therefore, you need to use good judgment. If the tenant is close to the end of their lease, it might not be worth going through the trouble of posting a notice. However, if they aren’t and they’re proving to be troublesome, you can either mail or email them the notice, as well as post it on their front door.

 

It’s important to know to protect your property and sometimes, that requires a certain problematic tenant to move out. If you have any questions, you can call Mike of East Bay Property Management and Consulting at 510-996-3238.